Japoix Restaurant & Lounge, which opened in the Beauvallon at East Ninth Avenue and Lincoln Street last August, was designed around the concept of French-Japanese fusion. But full integration between the two cuisines never took hold (see our review), and the menu began to evolve in new directions.

To speed up this evolution, Japoix recently replaced executive chef Jay Spickelmier with Matthew Schaerer, 30, who had been working the burners as sous chef. Prior to Japoix, Schaerer spent time cooking at Spago in Beaver Creek and the Banyan Tree at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua in Hawaii.

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Together with Japoix owner Lawrence Yee, Schaerer is revamping Japoix’s menu to focus more broadly on what they call “new American cuisine,” with an emphasis on pan-Asian ingredients. Some changes have already hit the menu, including chicken thigh roulade with Thai basil and spins on sushi classics.